Stripe Connect Overview
Voila uses Stripe Connect (Standard) to process payments between students and tutors. Tutors are the merchant of record — Voila does not take any commission on 1:1 lesson payments.
You can connect Stripe or PayPal, never both. Stripe is recommended where it is available. PayPal is coming soon for countries where Stripe Connect is not offered.
How It Works
- Tutor connects Stripe — Complete onboarding to link your Stripe account. See Setup.
- Student books a lesson — A temporary hold is placed on the student’s card to ensure funds are available.
- Tutor confirms or declines — Once you accept, the lesson is officially scheduled. If you decline (or the request expires), the hold is released immediately.
- Payment captured — To protect your cancellation policy, the student is officially charged once the free cancellation window closes (e.g., 24 hours before the lesson).
- Tutor receives funds — After capture, Stripe moves the earnings to your balance and deposits them to your bank on your standard payout schedule.
Payment Modes
Each student relationship can use a different payment mode:
| Mode | How it works |
|---|---|
| Stripe | Student pays through Stripe at booking. This is the default when you have Stripe connected. |
| External | Payment happens outside Voila (bank transfer, cash, etc.). You track it manually. |
| No payment | No payment is collected. Useful for friends, family, or trial arrangements. |
Set the payment mode per-student in their relationship settings or per-group.
What Voila Charges vs What You Earn
Voila charges are completely separate from your lesson earnings:
| Feature | Cost | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Lesson Payments | Your lesson price (minus Stripe fees) | Student pays you |
| Platform Tools | Platform fee for recording and AI tools (per-session) | Tutor pays Voila |
Voila takes zero commission on your lessons. You keep 100% of your earnings, minus standard Stripe processing fees (set by Stripe, not Voila).
Key Features
- Session packages — Sell multi-session bundles at a set price. Students buy once; you consume sessions as lessons happen. See Payments.
- Booking requests — Students request a time slot; you confirm or decline. Payment is held until confirmation.
- Recurring payments — Set up recurring lesson schedules with automatic billing. See Payments.
- Smart refunds — If you decline a booking or cancel a lesson, the student is refunded automatically. If a student cancels, refunds are processed based on your specific cancellation policy.
- Earnings dashboard — View gross earnings, Stripe fees, net income, and transaction history. See Earnings.
- Dispute support — Email alerts, evidence packs, deadline reminders, and Admin banners when a student disputes a payment. See Disputes & Chargebacks.
Related
- Setup — connect your Stripe account
- Payments — how bookings, packages, and recurring payments work
- Earnings & Payouts — view and manage your earnings
- Disputes & Chargebacks — your responsibilities as merchant of record
- PayPal Overview — PayPal lesson payments (coming soon)
- Subscription & Billing — platform usage fees (separate from earnings)